Apparatus for drying hides, skins and similar sheetlike articles



3,378,935 ILAR April 23, 1968 P. AUGERE APPARATUS FOR DRYING HIDES,SKINS AND SIM SHEETLIKE ARTICLES 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 16, 1966mnuuuunuumm TTORNEB Apnl 23, 1968 P. AUGERE 3,378,935

APPARATUS FOR DRYING HLD" SKINS AND SIMILAR SHEETIJIKE A CLES FiledSept. 16, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 United States Patent 3,378,935 APPARATUSFOR DRYING RIDES, SKINS AND SIMILAR SHEETLIKE ARTlCLES Paul Augere,Sceaux, France, assiguor to Charvo S.A., Grenoble, Isere, France, aFrench jointstock company Filed Sept. 16, 1966, Ser. No. 580,077 Claimspriority, application France, Sept. 23, 1965, 32,496, Patent 1,460,696 3Claims. (Cl. 34--92) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A flat casing with twopolished parallel sides is oscillatably supported by a frame to receivea hide to be dried on any of its polished sides. A hinged air-tightcover is thereafter applied on the said side, this cover having apermeable inner cushion which is pressed against the hide, and vacuum isapplied to the inner space of the cover. Heating means are providedwithin the casing which may be locked at two positions symmetrical withrespect to a vertical plane.

The present invention relates to a process and apparatus for dryingunder vacuum tanned or untanned hides and skins or similar sheet-likearticles.

A known device for this purpose comprises a horizontal polished heatingplate adapted to receive the article to be dried with its hair sideagainst the plate, and a removable cover, in the form of a sheet ofrubber or like mate rial carried by a frame, which is disposed on theplate with its edges engaging the edges of the latter, the inner side ofthe said cover being provided with a flat permeable resilient cushionadapted to press the article against the plate. The space comprisedbetween the plate and the cover may be connected with a vacuum pump. Inorder to reduce the quantity of water to be evaporated, the article tobe dried is previously submitted to a mechanical operation in, whichpart of its water content is expelled, as for instance by squeezing. Insome apparatus of this kind the polished heating plate is in the form ofa table facing upwardly, while in others the plate faces downwardly, thearticle being first placed on the permeable resilient cushion and thecover being thereafter raised against the plate.

In these known drying apparatus, and more particularly when polishedplate faces downwardly, it is extremely difficult to stretch the moistarticle both longitudinally and transversely in order to obtain themaximum possible area for the dried article. Owing to the unavoidabledeformation of the polished heating plate, when the latter facesupwardly water accumulates in some zones thereof and the drying of thearticle becomes irregular. Each drying unit is cumbersome and occupiesan undesirably large portion of the available area of the drying plant.

The present invention has for its object to avoid the above-mentionedinconveniences.

In accordan e with this invention a process for drying tanned oruntanned hides and skins consists in directly applying the moist articleon a polished surface disposed at a small angle to the vertical, withoutthe use of an adhesive and without any preliminary mechanicalelimination of part of the water content of the article which thusadheres to the said surface, in disposing on the article a flexibleair-tight cover having on its inner side a permeable resilient cushionwhich presses the article against the said surface, while its edgesengage in an air-tight manner the said surface around the article, andin evacuating the space comprised between the said surface and thecover.

The invention further concerns an apparatus for drying tanned oruntanned hides and skins or similar sheetlike articles, comprising aflat casing having two polished ice sides substantially parallel to eachother, a supporting frame in which the said casing is tiltably mountedin such manner as to be capable of assuming two substantiallysymmetrical positions at a small angle to the vertical, means Within thesaid casing for heating the polished sides thereof, two air-tightcover-s, each being adapted to be applied on one of the polished sidesof the said casing, a flat permeable resilient cushion provided on theinner side of each cover, means along the edges of each cover forengaging in an air-tight manner the corresponding polished side of saidcasing, and means to evacuate selectively the spaces comprises betweenthe said covers and the polished sides of the said casing.

In the annexed drawings:

FIG. 1 is a front view of an apparatus according to this invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-section of the flat casing of this apparatus takenalong line Il-II of FIG. 1, the covers and the supporting frame beingomitted.

FIG. 3 is an enlarged fragmental line III-III of FIG. 1.

F IG. 4 is a large scale fragmental section of a permeable resilientcushion.

FIGS. 5 to are explanatory diagrams illustrating the successive steps ofan operating cycle.

The apparatus comprises a supporting frame 1 which carries two spacedbearings 2 disposed along the same horizontal axis and in which arero-tatably mounted two trunnions 3 secured to the lateral edges of aflat rectangular casing 4. This casing may thus oscillate about thecommon horizontal axis of the bearings 2 and it may be locked at twopositions substantially symmetrical to each other with respect to thevertical plane containing the said axis, the casing being at a smallangle to the said plane at each position, this angle being comprisedbetween 0 and 45, preferably between rbout 10 and The means used forthis purpose may be of any conventional construction. They have beenindicated in FIG. 1 in the form of a sector 5 carried by the frame 1, ofan arm 6 secured to the edge of the casing 4 and of a removable pin 7threaded through holes provided in the sector and in the arm, but it isobvious that any other device could be used, as for instance an endlessworm gearing actuaed manually or by means of an electric motor, ahydraulic ram, etc.

The casing 4 comprises two spaced side plates and 4b (FIGS. 2 and 3)parallel to each other and connected with each other by transverse wallssuch as 40, 4d (FIG. 2) so as to define an inner space or chamber 8 inwhich a heating fluid, as for instance water or oil, may be circulatedbetween an inlet 9 and an outlet 10 (FIG. 1), the connection with thestationary lines being effected by means of flexible hoses 11 and 12.Alternatively the casing may be heated by means of steam. The lateralplates 4a, 4b are connected with each other by inner stays 4e in orderto form a quite rigid unit. Their outer sides are carefully polished.They are preferably made of stainless steel.

While the lower and the lateral transverse walls which together with theside plates 4a and 4b, define the inner space 8, are situated along thecorresponding edges of the plates, the upper Wall 4d is at a distancefrom their upper edge, as clearly shown in FIG. 3 and there is providedan additional transverse wall 4 along the latter, the rectangularchannel thus formed being divided in two separate conduits 13 and 14 byan intermediate partition 4g substantially parallel to the side plates4a and 4b. Horizontally elongated openings 4h, 4i are formed in therespective side plates 4a and 41) at a small distance from the upperedge thereof so as to open into the said conduits 13 and 14.

Each one of the upper conduits 13 and 14 is connected by a flexible hosesuch as 15 (FIG. 1) and through a three-way valve such as 16 either withthe outer atmossection taken along photo or with a condenser 17 having alower draining outlet 18, the upper portion of this condenser being inturn connected by a pipe 19 with the inlet 20 of a vacuum pump 21 havingan outlet 22 with an exhaust pipe 23, the said pump being driven by anelectric motor 24.

The upper edge of the fiat casing 4 supports two spaced blocks 25 (FIGS.1 and 3) disposed along the same longitudinal axis and which carry ahorizontal shaft 26 on which are rotatably mounted two pairs of L-shapedarms, respectively 27 and 28. The lower ends of the depending branchesof the arms of each pair are welded to a longitudinal tubular member,respectively 29, 30, to the ends of which are secured, as for instanceby means of screws, the vertical elements of a rectangular frame,respectively 31, 32 whose dimensions are slightly smaller than those ofthe casing 4. A rectangular cup shaped hood, respectively 33, 34, madeof sheet-metal and having substantially the same dimensions as thecasing 4 itself, is interposed between each frame 31, 32 and thecorresponding longitudinal member 29, 30, this hood opening towards thecasing 4. On the inner side of each frame 31, 32 are disposed insuperposition a sheet 35, 36 of rubber or like resilient and air-tightmaterial, and a flat permeable resilient cushion 36, 38, the whole beingremovably secured to the frame by means of screws such as 39, 40. Whileeach cushion 37, 38 has substantially the same dimensions as thecorresponding frame, each sheet 35, 36 protrudes outwardly, itsdimensions being almost equal to those of the casing 4. The protrudingmarginal portion of each sheet 35, 36 has on its side facing the casing4 a strip 41, 42 of rubber or like material adapted to engage in anair-tight manner the marginal portion of the corresponding side plates4a, 4b when the frame is applied against the casing.

Each unit comprising for instance a frame 31, a hood 33, a sheet and acushion 37, forms a cover hinged to the casing 4 about the shaft 26,these two covers being generally referenced A and B.

The arms 27, 28 of each pair are connected with each other by a shortlongitudinal member 43, 44 disposed well above the above-mentionedlongitudinal member 29, 30. To the central portion of each member 43, 44is Welded a fork 45, 46 between the ends of which is pivoted a nut 47,48. Each nut 47, 48 cooperates with one end portion 49a, 49b of a commontransverse -rod 49, the said end portions being formed with threads ofopposite pitch. The central portion of the rod 49 carries a worm wheel50 which meshes with a worm 51 driven by an electric motor 52 (FIG. 1),the latter being supported by the casing 53 of the worm-end-wheelgearing 50-51 and the whole unit 52-53 being rotatably carried by therod 49 and being prevented from rotating by a rod 54 pivoted to the unitand to the upper transverse wall 4] of the casing 4.

FIG. 4 shows a possible construction of a permeable resilient cushionsuch as 37 and 38. This cushion, generally referenced C, comprises threesuperposed grids 55 formed of metallic wires or of cords of a resilientplastic material, these grids being separated from each other by twoperforated sheets 56 of plastic material.

In operation, the casing 4 being locked at one of its two inclinedportions and the covers A and B being disposed against the side plates4a and 41; (FIG. 5), vacuum is applied to the conduit 14-, i.e. to theconduit situated on the side of the intermediate partition 4g whichfaces downwardly, while the conduit 13 is connected with the outeratmosphere. The space comprised between the rubiii) her sheet 36 and theside plate 4]; is thus evacuated through the openings 41'. The electricmotor 52 is then energized so as to rotate the rod 49 in such adirection as to tend to displace the nuts 47, 48 towards each otherthereon. Since the cover B is now maintained against the casing 4 byatmosphere pressure, cover A is progressively raised to the position ofFIG. 6, the rod 49 assuming the position in dash lines in FIG. 3. Themotor is then stopped.

A hide to be dried is then applied on the exposed side plate 4a withoutany preliminary elimination of any portion of its water content. In sucha moist state the hide strongly adheres to the polished surface and itmay be fully stretched thereon by a single operator by scraping itsouter side (flesh side).

The cover A is then lowered by means of the electric motor 52, thecushion 37 being thus pressed against the hide H (FIG. 3). The apparatusis now at the position of FIG. 7. Vacuum is then applied to the conduit13 and the casing 4 is tilted to its second position (FIG. 8).

While water evaporates from the hide H under the combined effect of heatand vacuum, the operator connects the conduit 14 with the outeratmosphere, raises cover B and disposes another hide H on the exposedside plate 41) (position of FIG. 9). He then lowers the cover B andconnects the conduit 14 with the vacuum pump 21 (position of FIG. 10).The operating cycle is now completed. i

The subsequent cycles are effected as the first one with this soledifference that when a cover is raised, the operator removes the hidewhich has been dried under it during the preceding cycle.

I claim:

1. An apparatus for drying hides and skins or similar sheet-likearticles, comprising a stationary supporting frame; a fiat casingrotatably carried by said frame so as to be capable of oscillating abouta substantially horizontal axis, said flat casing having two polishedsides substantially parallel to each other; means on said frame and onsaid casing to lock said casing at two positions substantiallysymmetrical to each other with respect to the vertical plane containingsaid horizontal axis and at a small angle to said plane; means withinsaid casing to heat the polished sides thereof; an air-tight coverremovably applied against each of said polished sides, said cover havingan inner side and a number of edges; 2. flat permeable resilient cushionon the inner side of each of said covers; means along the edges of eachof said covers to engage in an air-tight manner the correspondingpolished side of said casing to create a closed space between eachpolished side and the cover co-operating therewith; and means toselectively evacuate each of said spaces.

2. In an apparatus as claimed in claim 1, said flat casing having anupper edge and said covers being hinged to said upper edge about asubstantially horizontal axis.

3. In an apparatus as claimed in claim 1, said small angle beingcomprised between 0 and References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,661,54312/1953 Tyndall 34-16 3,151,952 10/1964- Turato 34-92 3,244,109 12/1965Turato 34-92 3,253,351 5/1966 Bettamin 34-92 3,303,574 2/1967 Hohmann34-5 WILLIAM J. WYE, Primary Examiner.

